1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement on the current devices installed on mobile vehicles for receiving urine during expulsion. Included is a distinct and improved reservoir for receiving urine and dispensing said urine into a commode while also providing a convenient mounting system for said reservoir.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As today's society has become more mobile it has become commonplace for vehicles to be designed with commodes that can be used while the vehicle is in transport. Commodes can be found in airplanes, boats, buses, trucks, mobile homes, and trains to name a few. While these conveniences have proven to be invaluable assets, the combination has not been without fault. When males expel urine into the standard commodes installed on vehicles, the jostling of the vehicle can lead to a lack of control of the urine's trajectory. The result is that the urine will land on the exterior of the commode, the floor, or the surrounding walls. This is highly unsanitary and unpleasant. Thus a device that would receive all urine expelled by a male in the standing position despite, being jostled, would be a vast improvement on the prior art.
As described earlier, all of the devices for receiving urine on moving vehicles employ the standard seated commode. This design typically resembles a stool with an opening in the seat that is designed to receive human excrement. The only accommodation that exists for the male expulsion of urine in the standing position is that the seat of the commode can typically be lifted so that any urine that is splashed will not land thereon. While this design is adequate for stationary commodes, the bumps and turns of a moving vehicle can cause the user to miss the commode altogether. There are no devices in the prior art that recognize this fault and rectify it. The present invention comes from the realization that a reservoir is needed that is at an elevated level so that these accidents will not occur. The invention can be installed for use with preexisting arrangements at low cost. While there are other reservoir designs for the receipt of urine, most of these designs are for separate units. None of these provide for a permanent mounting system that makes the reservoir readily available to the user of a mobile commode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,058 to Robert W. Anderson and Carlos Witzke U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,998 are for urinals designed for use by a female, particularly those that do not have access to a commode. The similarities to the present invention relate to the use of a urine receptor cup that is attached to a hose by a port for the transport of urine. The cup designs however are distinctly different. The Anderson '058 and Witzke '998 design incorporate a cup that is suited for the female anatomy while the present invention is for the male anatomy. The primary difference is that the port orientation on the cup for these patents are located at a downward angle from the mouth of the cup which accommodates the female anatomy while the present invention consists of a port directly below the mouth of the cup thus being designed to suit the male anatomy. The present invention incorporates a dispensation design on the opposite end of the hose that is readily adaptable to most commodes while the Anderson '058 patent is designed to dispense the urine by a pumping mechanism. The Witzke '998 patent covers only a cup and hose design. Also unique to the present Invention is a mounting system for the cup that makes it possible to mount the present invention immediately next to a commode and to be used either mounted or grasped for use. This design feature is crucial to the present inventions utility in mobile vehicles and is not disclosed in the Anderson '058 patent or the Witzke '998 patent.
The urine conducting apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,111 to Paul R. Packer uses a cup and port design as well. The cup and its mouth are shaped with a curved design intended for the female anatomy and does not incorporate the barrel shaped structure of the present invention. Thus splashing due to jostling will be a far greater risk in the Packer '111 design. The Packer '111 design is for a receptor cup only and has none of the features of the present invention for mounting and adapting for a commode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,306 to Bernard B. Bringman and Des. 357,979 to Oneita A. Evans are for urinals that are attached to a container by a hose. The port-mouth orientation of these inventions is arranged for the male anatomy and this respect more closely resembles the present invention. However, the dispensing design for theses inventions is for the hoses to enter a container where said container incorporates a mounting receptor to hold the end of the hose in place. The present invention on the contrary includes a special design feature that allows the end of the hose to be mounted on the rim of a commode and thus be used permanently with that commode. In addition, neither the Bringman '306 nor Evans '979 patents disclose a means for mounting said cups for repeated usage in mobile vehicles.
U.S. Pat. Des. 213,557 is for a portable bidet that has a basin design that substantially resembles the standard bidet. A hose feeds into two tubes that are connected to both spray nozzles of the bidet. This hose is attached to a fitting that is designed to be mounted on a spout so that water will be fed to the abovementioned nozzles. The fitting is not suited for the mounting system of the present invention and is not meant for the purpose of receiving urine. The interface between the hose and the bidet is greatly different then the present invention and would not be readily adaptable to standard mobile commodes.
Therefore a need exists for a novel and enhanced device for receiving urine on mobile vehicles. Combining these tasks in a single unit would increase efficiency and minimize the use of storage space. In addition, the design should maximize the safety of the user. In this respect, the mountable urine reservoir according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of receiving urine in a mobile vehicle.